Inflatable unit

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to an inflatable liferaft comprising at least one inflatable flotation tube, said inflatable tube extending circumferentially for providing a substantially ring-shaped area, and a bottom element which is adapted to provide a bottom to the substantially ring-shaped area. Furthermore, at least two seating arrangements are arranged in the ring-shaped area.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an inflatable liferaft comprising at least one inflatable flotation tube, said inflatable tube extending circumferentially for providing a substantially ring-shaped area, and a bottom element which is adapted to provide a bottom to the substantially ring-shaped area.

The term “ring-shaped area” is in this context to be construed as the inflatable tube defining the outer periphery of the liferaft, i.e. the hull sides. The ring-shaped area is the area wherein the evacuated people are located while they are present in the liferaft. The configuration of the ring-shaped area may be round, elliptic, rectangular, pentagonal, hexagonal, octagonal, or others.

BACKGROUND ART

Evacuation of ship passengers and crew members in event of an emergency into inflatable liferafts is well known.

The liferafts are normally stored onboard of the vessel in containers in a deflated state. In this storage situation, the containers do not take up much room or space on the deck. Furthermore, rack systems may be provided on the deck of the vessel in order to accommodate one or more containers. During the evacuation situation, the container is either thrown overboard into the water, whereinafter it is inflated, or it is inflated onboard and subsequently lowered onto the water. Then, the evacuation of persons can take place.

The inflatable liferafts are suitable for evacuation of up to 150 persons per liferaft. If large passenger or cruise ships, where a high number of passengers are present, are to be equipped with liferafts, a considerable number of liferafts have to be installed. The containers take up a lot of deck space, which clearly is a disadvantage for passenger or cruise ships, where the ship-owners will appreciate space on the decks for the passengers.

Furthermore, in the SOLAS Rules (Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea), it is stated that the liferafts shall have a seating area of 0.37 m² for each person, thus, a liferaft for 150 persons shall at least have an area of 55.5 m² for fulfilling the SOLAS Rules.

Additionally, persons being evacuated in the known liferafts are seated directly on the bottom of the liferaft, and there is no indication where to be seated which may provide a poor use of the bottom area since persons being evacuated have a tendency to just seat or lay in a not structured way. This may have the consequence that the liferaft does not have the capacity as intended and an uneven load distribution which may influence on the stability of the liferaft.

From U.S. Pat. No. 2,752,616 a small inflatable round liferaft is known. In said liferaft a seating arrangement is arranged, said seating arrangement is extending around the periphery of the round liferaft and the outer inflatable floatation tube may be used as a backrest.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to wholly or partly overcome the above disadvantages and drawbacks of the prior art. More specifically, it is an object to provide an inflatable liferaft with a high capacity.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide an inflatable liferaft which assists the person being evacuated to be placed correctly.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an inflatable liferaft which is comfortable to be placed in.

The above objects, together with numerous other objects, advantages and features, which will become evident from the below description, are accomplished by a solution in accordance with the present invention by at least two seating arrangements being arranged in the ring-shaped area.

Hereby it is obtained that the persons being evacuated may be seated as they sit on a chair whereby the legs are bended. By incorporating the seating arrangements according to the invention, it is obtained that more persons per area may be seated in relation to the known solutions, wherein the persons are seated directly on the bottom. Thus, the capacity of the liferafts may be increased whereby the number of liferafts present on the ships may be decreased so that the ship owners may have additional room on the decks of their ships.

Furthermore, the seating arrangements provide the persons being evacuated a solution, which without any instructions motivates a correct placement on the seating arrangements and thereby an optimum utilisation of the area of the liferaft.

In a preferred embodiment according to the invention, the seating arrangements may extend in a direction away from the inflatable tube across the ring-shaped area, so that the ring-shaped area is utilised to an optimum.

According to the invention, the seating arrangements may be inflatable. Hereby it is obtained that the seating arrangements are isolated, whereby they are more comfortable to sit on. Furthermore, the bottom element of the liferaft need not to be isolated since the persons being evacuated do not sit directly on the bottom of the liferaft.

The seating arrangements may have a predetermined pressure in inflated state. Said predetermined pressure is typically lower than the pressure of the floatable tube. The predetermined pressure may be of such a size that when the persons being evacuated sit on the seating arrangements they will sink down into the seating arrangements whereby a fixation of the persons is obtained. The persons will thereby be less exposed to the movements of the liferaft.

According to the invention, the seating arrangements may be extending so that persons being evacuated are able to be seated on each side of the seating arrangements thereby using each other as backrest.

In an expedient embodiment according to the invention, the seating arrangements may comprise at least three longitudinal parts, said longitudinal parts may be extending substantially in a same plane. Hereby it is obtained that the seating arrangements are divided into sections which motivate persons without any instructions to be seated. Furthermore, the seating arrangements are thereby adapted so that the persons being evacuated may sit on each side of the seating arrangements and thereby use each other as back rests.

According to the invention, the longitudinal parts may be separate parts mutually connected or one unit comprising longitudinal parts.

Furthermore, longitudinal grooves may be arranged between the longitudinal parts. Said longitudinal grooves indicate how the persons being evacuated may sit on the seating arrangement. Also the longitudinal grooves may be used as drainage channels which may lead fluid away from the seating arrangements, if any fluid is present on the seating arrangement.

Additionally, at least one of the longitudinal grooves may be a lowest point of a seat.

According to the invention, a plurality of seating arrangements may be arranged parallel to each other across the ring-shaped area, with a predetermined distance between them. The seating arrangements create a natural passage function in the area between the seating arrangements. By sitting in parallel arranged rows, movement of the persons in the area between the seating arrangements is facilitated. The seating arrangements are arranged with a distance so that the persons sitting on opposite seating arrangements facing each other may lock their legs, whereby the persons will support each other. When persons also sit on the other side of the seating arrangement, the persons will support each other both in the lateral direction as well as in the longitudinal direction, i.e. the persons are supported in all directions, whereby the influences from a stormy sea will be considerably smaller on the individual person. Furthermore, by sitting close on the seating arrangements a thermal isolation between the persons sitting close is obtained, whereby an increased security against hypothermia is obtained.

Advantageously, the seating arrangements may be connected to the bottom element and/or the inflatable tube.

According to the invention, the seating arrangements may be detachable or securely connected to the bottom element and/or the inflatable tube.

Furthermore, the seating arrangements and the bottom element and/or the inflatable tube may comprise corresponding connection means.

In addition, the connection means may be zips, groove/flange connection, frapping, he/she connections or the like.

In a further embodiment of the invention, one or more passage(s) may be arranged transversely to the extensions of the seating arrangements.

According to the invention, the seating arrangements may stiffen the liferaft in a transverse direction.

Furthermore, at least one of the seating arrangements may be hingedly connected to the bottom element. Hereby is obtained that the at least one seating arrangement may be moved from a first position, in which the seating arrangement is adapted for seating the evacuated persons to a second position, in which the seating arrangement is raised or displaced from the bottom element and thus the first position, and thereby providing a space in the ring-shaped area. The space may for instance be used as a receiving area for a slide or chute in an evacuation situation, whereafter the slide or chute is dismounted from the liferaft, and the at least one seating arrangement may then be placed in the first position so that the seating arrangement may again be used as seats for the persons in the liferaft. The space may also be used as storage room or for injured persons who need to lie down.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention and its many advantages will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings, which for the purpose of illustration show some non-limiting embodiments and in which

FIG. 1 shows in a top view an inflatable liferaft according to the invention,

FIG. 2 shows also in a top view another embodiment of the inflatable liferaft,

FIGS. 3-7 show in a cross sectional view different embodiments of the seating arrangements,

FIG. 8 shows in a cross sectional view another embodiment of seating arrangements according to the invention,

FIG. 9 shows in a cross sectional view yet another embodiment of seating arrangements according to the invention,

FIG. 10 shows in a side view two persons sitting on opposite sides of a seating arrangement,

FIG. 11 shows in a top view several persons placed on the seating arrangements,

FIG. 12 shows in a side view seating arrangements being hingedly connected to the bottom element, and

FIG. 13 shows in a top view the seating arrangements of FIG. 12.

All the figures are highly schematic and not necessarily to scale, and they show only parts which are necessary in order to elucidate the invention, other parts being omitted or merely suggested.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In FIG. 1 an inflatable liferaft 1 according to the invention is shown. The liferaft 1 comprises at least one inflatable flotation tube 2, said inflatable tube 2 extending circumferentially for providing a substantially ring-shaped area 3, and a bottom element 4 which is adapted to provide a bottom to the substantially ring-shaped area 3. In other embodiments (not shown) the inflatable liferaft may comprise one additional or more inflatable flotation tubes arranged above the inflatable tube 2.

In the ring-shaped area 3 separate seating arrangements 5 are arranged. In the shown embodiment, five seating arrangements are arranged parallel to each other across the ring-shaped area 3, with a predetermined distance D between them. The liferaft 1 has in this embodiment a longitudinal direction L and a transverse direction T. The seating arrangements 5 are in this embodiment shown as extending in a direction away from the inflatable tube 2 across the ring-shaped area 3 mainly in the transverse direction T of the liferaft 1. In other (not shown) embodiments the seating arrangements may extend in the longitudinal direction L of the liferaft 1. Furthermore, the seating arrangements 5 substantially extend perpendicularly away from the inflatable tube 2.

The seating arrangements 5 in FIG. 1 are in each end connected to the outer periphery of the liferaft, i.e. the inflatable tube 2, and it may be connected along its longitudinal direction to the bottom element 4. The seating arrangements 5 may advantageously be part of the strength of the liferaft 1 and stiffen the liferaft 1 in either the transverse and/or the longitudinal direction.

The seating arrangements 5 may either be detachable or securely connected to the bottom element 4 and/or the inflatable tube 2. In one embodiment of the invention, the seating arrangements 5 and the bottom element 4 and/or the inflatable tube 2 may comprise corresponding connection means (not shown). The connection means are zips, groove/flange connection, frapping, he/she connections or the like. Furthermore, the connection means may be securely attached after the connection and they may be sealed after the connection.

When the seating arrangements 5 are securely connected to the bottom element and/or inflatable tube, this may be performed by welding, gluing, cementing, or similar techniques well-known in the art.

The seating arrangements 5′ at the ends of the liferaft 1 are in this embodiment arranged close to the inflatable tube so that the inflatable tube may be used as a backrest for the persons sitting there. Furthermore, due to the inflatable tube being used as a backrest, the seating arrangements 5′ have a less width than the seating arrangements 5 not placed at the ends of the liferaft 1.

In FIG. 2, another embodiment of the seating arrangements 5 is shown. The seating arrangements 5 are in this embodiment arranged a distance away from the inflatable tube 2 so that a passage 6 is created between the seating arrangements 5 and the inflatable tube 2. The passage 6 may be arranged in each side of the liferaft 1 or only in one side. Furthermore, the seating arrangements 5′ at the end of the liferaft 1 are in this embodiment arranged in the full transverse extension of the liferaft 1. In other embodiments (not shown), the seating arrangements 5′ at the ends of the liferaft 1 may also be arranged a distance away from the inflatable tube 2.

In another (not shown) embodiment, one or more passages may be arranged transversely to the extensions of the seating arrangements. For instance, a passage may be arranged substantially at the centreline of the liferaft, whereby the persons present in the liferaft may move in the longitudinal direction of the liferaft. Furthermore, the seating arrangements are then arranged on each side of the passage. In another embodiment two longitudinal passages are arranged, whereby the seating arrangements are divided into three sections in each row.

According to the invention, the seating arrangements 5 may be inflatable. Also, the seating arrangements 5 may have a predetermined pressure in the inflated state. The predetermined pressure may be of such a size that when the persons being evacuated sit on the seating arrangements 5 they will sink down into the seating arrangements 5 whereby a fixation of the persons is obtained. The persons will thereby be less exposed to the movements of the liferaft 1. The inflation of the seating arrangements 5 may be performed by the pressure source, which is adapted to inflate the entire liferaft 1 or it may have its own pressure source.

In FIGS. 3-7 different embodiments of the seating arrangements 5 are shown in a cross-sectional view. According to the invention, the seating arrangements 5 may comprise at least three longitudinal parts. The longitudinal parts may be separate parts mutually connected, which is shown in the embodiments of FIGS. 3-5, or one unit comprising longitudinal parts, which is shown in FIGS. 6-7.

In FIG. 3, the three longitudinal parts 7, 7′, 7″ substantially have the same size, i.e. the same diameter. The longitudinal parts 7, 7′, 7″ are all connected to each other and are separate parallel inflatable tubes. Furthermore, longitudinal grooves 8 are arranged between the longitudinal parts 7, 7′, 7″.

In FIG. 4, the middle longitudinal part 7′ has a larger size than the two outer longitudinal parts 7, 7″. In FIG. 5, the middle longitudinal part 7′ has a smaller size than the two outer longitudinal parts 7, 7″.

Even though the seating arrangements of the present invention primarily have been shown with three longitudinal parts, it is within the inventive idea that the seating arrangements also may comprise five or seven longitudinal parts or even more longitudinal parts.

According to the invention, the height of the seating arrangements may preferably be between 0.10 m to 0.30 m.

Advantageously, at least one of the longitudinal grooves may be a lowest point of a seat, which guides the persons to be seated as intended. Furthermore, it may as well be used for the drainage of potential water away from the seating arrangements.

In FIG. 8, another embodiment of the seating arrangements 5 is shown in a cross-sectional view. The seating arrangements are in this embodiment formed by folding the bottom into three longitudinal parts and thereinafter sealing the openings so that the seating arrangements become inflatable.

In FIG. 9, an additional embodiment of the seating arrangements 5 are shown in a cross sectional view. In this embodiment, the seating arrangements are part of the bottom of the liferaft, and the entire bottom is inflatable.

In FIG. 10, two persons 10 sitting on opposite sides of a seating arrangement 5 are schematically shown. The two persons 10 are using each other as backrest, and they are seated in such a way that they each use the grooves 8 in the seating arrangement 5 as the lowest point of their respective seat.

In FIG. 11, several persons placed on the seating arrangements 5 are shown in a top view. The seating arrangements 5 are arranged with a distance D so that the persons sitting on opposite seating arrangements facing each other may lock their legs, whereby the persons will support each other. When persons also sit on the other side of the seating arrangement, the persons will support each other both in the lateral direction as well as in the longitudinal direction, i.e. the persons are supported in all directions, whereby the influences from a stormy sea will be considerably smaller on the individual person. Furthermore, by sitting closely on the seating arrangements, a thermal isolation between the persons sitting closely is obtained, whereby an increased security against hypothermia is obtained.

In FIG. 12, a part of the seating arrangements 5 is shown in a side view. Two of the seating arrangements are raised in an upright second position to provide a space 15 in the ring-shaped area. The seating arrangements may be moved back into a first position, wherein the seating arrangements are adapted for seating persons, which is indicated by the arrows. It should be noted that the seating arrangements 5 comprise hinge connections (not shown) or the like between the bottom element 4 and the seating arrangements 5 so that they may be moved between the first position and the second position with the hinge connections as the centre of rotation. In the shown embodiment, the seating arrangements comprise hinge connections placed on one side of the seating arrangements. In other embodiments, the seating arrangements may comprise hinge connections in each side, and these hinge connection may be detachable to make it optional in which direction the seating arrangements are moved.

In FIG. 13, the seating arrangements 5 of FIG. 12 are shown in a top view. In this embodiment, the seating arrangements 5 are raised in the upright position so that the space 15 is created between them. The space 15 may for instance be used as a receiving area for a slide or chute in an evacuation situation, whereafter the slide or chute is dismounted from the liferaft 1, and the seating arrangements may then be placed in the first position so that the seating arrangements may again be used as seats for the persons in the liferaft 1. The space 15 may also be used as storage room or for injured persons who need to lie down.

All seating arrangements may be hingedly connected to the bottom element or only to predetermined seating arrangements. For instance, the ones in the vicinity of the entrance into liferaft may be hingedly connected.

Furthermore, when the seating arrangements 5 are in an upright position, they provide a barrier around the space 15, which may for instance be advantageous when the space 15 is used as a landing area from a slide or a chute.

In another embodiment according to the invention, the seating arrangements 5 may be detachedly connected to the bottom element, so that they may be rearranged or moved to provide more space on the bottom element in certain areas of the liferaft.

Furthermore, the seating arrangements may be made of a polymeric material, such as natural rubber (NR), polyurethane (PU), thermoplastic poly urethane (TPU), butyl rubber (BR), polyvinylchloride (PVC), polychloroprene (CR), polyethylene (PE), or a combination thereof.

The liferaft 1 according to the invention may have a capacity for between 6 and 500 persons.

Although the invention above has been described in connection with preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be evident for a person skilled in the art that several modifications are conceivable without departing from the invention as defined by the following claims. 

1. An inflatable liferaft comprising at least one inflatable flotation tube, said inflatable tube extending circumferentially for providing a substantially ring-shaped area, and a bottom element which is adapted to provide a bottom to the substantially ring-shaped area, wherein at least two seating arrangements are arranged in the ring-shaped area.
 2. The inflatable liferaft according to claim 1, wherein the seating arrangements are extending in a direction away from the inflatable tube across the ring-shaped area.
 3. The inflatable liferaft according to claim 1, wherein the seating arrangements are inflatable.
 4. The inflatable liferaft according to claim 1, wherein the seating arrangements are extending so that persons being evacuated are able to be seated on each side of the seating arrangements thereby using each other as backrest.
 5. The inflatable liferaft according to claim 1, wherein the seating arrangements comprise at least three longitudinal parts, said longitudinal parts are extending substantially in a same plane.
 6. The inflatable liferaft according to claim 5, wherein the longitudinal parts are separate parts mutually connected or one unit comprising longitudinal parts.
 7. The inflatable liferaft according to claim 5, wherein longitudinal grooves are arranged between the longitudinal parts.
 8. The inflatable liferaft according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of seating arrangements are arranged parallel to each other across the ring-shaped area, with a predetermined distance between them.
 9. The inflatable liferaft according to claim 1, wherein the seating arrangements are connected to the bottom element and/or the inflatable tube.
 10. The inflatable liferaft according to claim 9, wherein the seating arrangements are detachable or securely connected to the bottom element and/or the inflatable tube.
 11. The inflatable liferaft according to claim 1, wherein one or more passage(s) is/are arranged transversely to the extensions of the seating arrangements.
 12. The inflatable liferaft according to claim 1, wherein the seating arrangements are stiffening the liferaft in a transverse direction.
 13. The inflatable liferaft according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the seating arrangements are hingedly connected to the bottom element. 